A new working paper from the G²LM|LIC Mentoring Programme, titled “Reservation Wages for Young People in Training in Sub-Saharan Africa: Does Gender Create Differences?” by Christian Zamo, Akono Eric Hubert Ngoko, and André Dumas Tsambou, supported by the Centre d’Etudes et de Recherche en Economie et Gestion and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), investigates the reservation wage inequalities between young girls and boys in Cameroon and Chad. Analyzing data from 4,710 young individuals transitioning to labor markets in French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa, the research highlights variable gaps across wage distribution deciles and quartiles, with gender differences in field of study and education level playing crucial roles. Find the paper for download here.
Another working paper from the G²LM|LIC Mentoring Programme titled “Barriers to Utilizing Antenatal Care and Skilled Birth Attendant Services: A Study of Rural Women of Reproductive Age in Three Villages in Khanewal District, Pakistan” by Waqar Ul Hassan, Dr. Saima Sarwar, and Jive Lubbungu, investigates the obstacles faced by rural women in Khanewal District in accessing essential maternal healthcare services, including antenatal care (ANC) and skilled birth attendants (SBAs). Through 15 semi-structured interviews with Lady Health Workers, rural women, and household members, the research identifies key barriers to utilizing maternal healthcare services. Find the paper for download here.
Interesting findings by Thomas Junior Njib Boumsong on a new working paper titled “The Impact of Trade Unions on Earnings: New Evidence from Cameroon” also from the G²LM|LIC Mentoring Programme. This study looks into the underexplored role of trade unions in Cameroon’s labor market, particularly after the end of trade union monolithism in 1995 and the advent of genuine collective bargaining in 2000. Utilizing data from the 2010 second Survey on Employment and the Informal Sector (EESI), conducted by the National Institute of Statistics, the paper assesses the impact of union presence and membership on the monthly earnings of employees in both formal and informal sectors. Find the paper for download here.